Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a crude antigen extract to measure Cuterebra-specific immunoglobulin G in sera of cats with systemic infections.

In cats, larvae of the dipteran fly, Cuterebra, sometimes cause severe disease by their migration through the tissues of the larynx, pharynx, nasal sinuses, brain, and spinal cord; such infected cats may die without the maggots ever reaching the subcutaneous tissues where they would typically mature. The current study examines the ability of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using crude Cuterebra antigen from maggots to detect parasite-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)G in cats with known (n = 42), suspected (n = 25), or no known exposure to the infection (n = 68). The probability of a given optical density (OD) predicting the infection status of a given animal was determined using logistic regression, and both 1:20 and 1:80 serum dilutions were highly predictive of the potential of a cat being infected with a larval Cuterebra.